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We ( mom, dad, my husband and myself) had a wonderful experience at JRL. January 28-February 4, 2008. The staff were so friendly and helpful. The meals were great each and every day. The menu provided a variety of selections for each meal. Dining took place in a very relaxed,non rushed, beautiful atmosphere. Our 2 bedroom cabana suite, near the pool and on the beach front, was nicely decorated , clean and the housekeeping staff took care of our every need. Guides on all excursions were very helpful and knowledgeable, they often prompted adventure participants to ask questions, so that we could learn as much about the beautiful country, people, wildlife and history as possible. You never felt rushed through anything. The massage on the dock was a one of a kind experience not to be missed.

Liked — Location of our room on the beachfront and the adventure excursion options

Disliked — Tour guides need micrMicrophones are needed in vans and buses so when guides are sharing infromation all in the vehicle can hear. Bed was a bit too firm

Stayed January 2008, traveled with family

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1Thank chuckieNJ

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Very friendly and well kept hotel. Rooms were great and well equipped. The grounds down to the beach is all raked sand areas with gardens which are kept really well and look lovely. The beach sadly suffers from a lot of jetsam but the groundsmen work hard on clearing daily. You can pick up pumice stones of the beach. Apart from that the beach is very pretty.The tours from here are very good, go to Mayflower Falls and the Mayan Ruins trips are all worthwhile. The jungle horse back riding was really good, not least because they match people with horses so if you can ride you enjoy yourself, not just sat in a nose to tail line. All the tour guides are great guys. The only disappointment was the lack of vegetarian options on the menu in the restaurant. We ate a rehash of exactly the same meal every evening which got frustrating.

Liked — The scenery

Disliked — The restaurant

Stayed March 2007, traveled as a couple

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Wow! What can I see. This was the most amazing place that my wife and I have ever been. If you like a small secluded resort where you can really gain a sense of the country's culture, this is the place for you. The staff was incredible. We were given a 2 way radio and were told to call in if we needed anything. They were prompt and extremely friendly. The room was very nice and spacious. The food was excellent. The best meal was the fish that we caught that afternoon. The chef prepared them to our liking and they were fantastic.

By far the highlight of Jaguar Reef was the excursions. If you are adventerous, you will love this place. Snorrkling, scuba diving, horseback riding through the rainforest and mountains (our personal favorite), spelunking, kayaking, just to name a few. This is also a great place to just lay on the beach. The beach was pristine and the water was beautiful. The barrier reef protects from waves so it is extremely calm.

We have been to Mexico, St. Thomas, St. Martin, Hawaii, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and all over the US, but Belize and Jaguar Reef Lodge still rank as our favorite vacation of all time. Go check it out!

Liked — Everything!

Disliked — You are in the tropics so there are lots of bugs.

Stayed June 2005, traveled as a couple

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4Thank jareddeason

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My husband and I spent eight amazing days in Belize following our wedding. We loved every minute of our stay at Jaguar Reef. The staff were amazing and accomodated our every need. The food was great, plentiful and delicious. The excursions were the highlight of our trip. The tour guides were fantastic, they educated us on the culture and wildlife of Belize during each trip. Belize is a beautiful country and the people were so nice. We went to Hopkins twice and the town, though very small was a slice of life that you don't see staying on the resort.

We went on an excursion each day, each one better than the last. On one day, we were the only people on the trip! I highly recommend JRL for a honeymoon that is for the adventurous couple who like to be active and see the country they are visiting. Although there are many other resorts in the Carribean that cater to overindulgance and excess, Belize's natural beauty and excitement was a much better choice for my husband and I.

Liked — Excursions, staff, food

Disliked — Game room is unusable, don't even bother

Stayed October 2007, traveled as a couple

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3Thank lkbc_7

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Just returned from a GREAT 8-night adventure at the Jaguar Reef Lodge in Hopkins, Belize. I have to admit that my family thought I was crazy to plan a vacation in such a remote location. But, in the end, they all said they'd love to go back! JRL was PERFECT! We planned this trip with another family so together there were 9 of us: 4 adults + 5 kids (ages 6-16). Every one of us had a fantastic time. There's something for everyone at JRL. There were honeymooners, families, and older couples. The resort is small enough that you get to know most of the guests after a couple days. It seems that the kind of people who book trips to JRL all have a similar personality and attitude - friendly and easy-going. The kids made friends with some other kids too. We even invited some folks to join us at dinner.

In addition to spending a few days just relaxing on the beautiful beach, we also went on the following excursions: horseback riding, snorkeling (twice), Cayo Mayan Ruins, and the River Tubing/ Zip-Line adventure. My personal favorite was the snorkeling, the kids mostly liked the zip-line, but they were all Fantastic! Our guide, Gabriel, knew SO much about the Mayan Ruins. It was no problem to ask our driver for the tubing & zip-line adventure to make an unscheduled stop at a gas station so we could buy drinks for the trip back. My scaredy-cat daughter was put at ease by our calm yet humorous snorkel guide, Roy. I could go on, but you get the idea - all the guides did a great job making each adventure fun for everyone.

The staff and guides are all so kind and always willing to help with whatever you need. As an example, my husband's bag was lost getting to the resort. But, Becky at the front desk took care of everything. About 24 hours later, the bag was in our room without a single phone call or any tracking done by us. Becky eventually found us at the pool to tell us that the bag had arrived. One day, one kid was sick and stayed in bed most of the day. The housekeeper was so nice. She came back several times to make up the room. She was never annoyed, and just asked how he was feeling. Another helpful example was that they were willing to schedule special excursions for our large group on any day we wanted. We did not have to stick to the regularly scheduled activities. They would line up a guide/driver for whatever activity we wanted, whatever day we wanted to do it. That was especially nice!

The food was excellent. Breakfast is a buffet with enough choices to please anyone including custom eggs and waffles. And lots of delicious fruit. Lunch was always the same menu - but there were many choices so I never got tired of the menu. Plus, some of the excursions include lunch, so we ate at a restaurant on the way instead. We noticed that they offered a rotating dinner menu for each night of the week. We stayed 8-nights, so the menu on tha first and last day was the same. All the fish was excellent! Lobster was on the menu 3 times! YUM! On Friday night, they also had live entertainment of a local Garifuni dance and drum group. Very interesting and fun!

Negatives?..... The game-room was disappointing. We stayed for about 2 minutes! The pool table, ping-pong, and shuffle-board table were all VERY worn. The building is back a ways from the beach so there's no breeze, there's no A/C, and we got lots of bug bites. Another small bummer- my husband would have liked to be able to work-out, but there's no fitness center (but we knew that before we booked)

Bugs, etc.?..... We didn't have any trouble with bug bites on or near the beach, but bug spray was necessary on any inland excursions. During a couple of days of storms, two of our kids got stung by jellyfish right by the dock at JRL. Apparently, this is unusual and didn't happen again after the storm passed. Must have been a weird ocean current or something. Also, twice in 8 days, we saw a roach in our room, and as we were packing to leave, we found a scorpion under the mattress of the murphy bed. Now, at most luxury resorts, I would have been appauled, But, somehow, it seemed forgivable at JRL. Not that they have lower standards, because everything was kept VERY clean, but because that kinda stuff just comes with the territory in Belize. Or, maybe we just adopted the kicked-back attitude that everyone there has. No matter, we all had an excellent time and would go back again in an instant!

Liked — Staff willing to help in any way possible. Luxury accomodations in a remote location.

Disliked — Game Room

Stayed July 2007, traveled with family

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6Thank Traveling Trish

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My family and I spent a week at the Jaguar Reef Lodge in early June of this year. If you are looking for a getaway full of action tours, or just spending time on the beach, we recomend staying at the Lodge. Management and staff made us feel very welcome, and the food was excellent! We can not say enough positive things about the whole experience from landing in Belize City to having to pack up and head home. I don't known when, but we will be back to visit the Jaguar Reef Lodge again.The McPheeters, Phoenix, Az

Liked — The staff madethis stay very special.

Disliked — I did not find anything lacking about the accommodations.

Stayed June 2007, traveled with family

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1Thank McTravelPhx

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We stayed at the Jaguar Reef Lodge the last week of June 2007. There were 8 family members in our group. When we first got there, the desk staff (Beckie and Maryanne) greeted us, introduced themselves, shook our hands, and showed us to our room. We cannot begin to describe the wonderful hospitality we received from everyone on the staff. We took many of side trips offered by the lodge: Zipline, cave tubing, horseback riding, boat down the Sittee River, Mayan ruins tour, rode bikes into Hopkins, and kayaked. One day we were just looking at the catamaran trying to figure out how to use it, when Manuel (a staff member) came over and offered us a lesson -- we were hesitant to take the catamaran out, so he took it out and captained it for us. That's just how the staff is -- if they see a need, they try and fulfill it before anyone asks for help. The service and food were top notch -- especially lobster on the grill prepared by Calbert! Top performers at the Lodge are: Clifton, Maryann, Beckie, Lauren, Laurel, Andrea, Tricia, Harold, King, Charlton, Roy, Florentino, Abraham, Isaac, Martin -- and Estella (the omlet maker). Our room was cleaned with fresh flowers on our beds every day. The tours are great, but just hanging around the lodge was a treat in and of itself. Went to Hopkins one day, everyone there was so friendly and warm to us. Highly recommend a vacation here and want to go back soon. K&S Joynt

Liked — Comfort

Disliked — N/A

Stayed June 2007, traveled with family

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3Thank KSJWhiteHouse_TN

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Proud member of ViVA BELiZE, the leading Hotel Group and Adventure Company in Belize for the past 20 years. This beachfront resort is - An Untouched Paradise offering a unique Jungle and Sea Venture. It is an oasis of relaxation, with sunny skies, panoramic views of the ocean and just minutes away from the Garifuna Fishing Village of Hopkins. Other features of Jaguar Reef Lodge & Spa: -WINNER 2015 TripAdvisor HALL OF FAME Award -FULL Service In-house Spa -Longest & Finest Beach in Belize -Pool with Swim up Tiki Bar -Kids pool -Beachfront Dining -Water Sports & Land Adventure Tour Desk...more less

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Also Known As:

Jaguar Reef Hotel Hopkins

Jaguar Reef Resort

Jaguar Reef Lodge & Spa Belize/Hopkins

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